English Acquisition for School-Age Children Adopted Internationally

So you've adopted some school-age children from a non-English speaking county and you want some hints on how to help them gain language proficiency as soon as possible.

Here is what worked for us.

Computer Software:

• Rosetta Stone - have your child do one lesson every day. They do the same lesson over and over again until they have 85% or better. Obviously, skip the lessons that involve concepts that are beyond your child's comprehension (division and multiplication in our case).

More Software - I ordered the "old" versions of these and put them on my ancient laptop - the one that can't upgrade past Windows 95. The old versions run great and I don't much care what happens to the laptop.

• Reader Rabbit Toddler
  
• Reader Rabbit Preschool Learning System
  
• Reader Rabbit Preschool Read With Phonics Pre-Kindergarten
• Reader Rabbit: I Can Read!
  
• Reader Rabbit Kindergarten
  

DVD/Video: When I really must be child-free (bathe, place phone-calls etc.) these 30-minute videos are my baby-sitters/language tutors.

• Leap Frog - Letter Factory
• Leap Frog - Talking Words Factory
• Leap Frog - Talking Words Factory 2 - Code Word Caper

LeapPad Learning Systems: Useful for quiet play-time (headphones are Mama's friend), long car rides, etc.

• Leap's Phonics Pond
• LeapFrog Interactive LeapPad Learning System - avoid the movie/Hollywood themed ones and stick with the Phonics ones.

These are all linked to Amazon.com so you can see what they look like, but I bought many of ours at the second-hand stores.

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edited to add (for new readers) that our children came to us from Russia in September at ages 5 and 6. Less than six months in, both now know the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes, and the elder is reading simple sentences: "The pig sat in the mud." "Pam makes a cake. Pam takes the cake to Pat." We're rather amazed.